Zebra Technologies GC420t User Manual

Zebra® GC420t™

Desktop Thermal Printer

User Guide

ii

P1052686-001 GC420t™ User Guide 5/22/2012

©2012 ZIH Corp. GC420, GC420t, ZBI, ZBI 2.0, ZBI-Developer, Uni-Ribbon,
ZebraDesigner, ZebraNet, EPL, EPL2, ZPL, ZPL II and all product names and numbers
are Zebra trademarks, and Zebra, the Zebra head graphic, ZPL, ZPL II, Element Energy
Equalizer circuit, E3 Circuit and, and ZebraNet are registered trademarks of ZIH Corp. All
rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

iii

This product may contain ZPL®, ZPL II®, and ZebraLink™ programs; Element Energy

3

Equalizer™ Circuit; E

®; and Monotype Imaging fonts. Software ©ZIH corp. All rights

reserved worldwide.

All rights reserved worldwide.Monotype®, Intellifont® and UFST® are trademarks of
Monotype Imaging, Inc. registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office and
may be registered in certain jurisdictions.

CG Triumvirate is a trademark of Monotype Imaging, Inc. and may be registered in some
jurisdictions.

TrueType® is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. registered in the United States Patent
and Trademark Office and may be registered in certancertain jurisdictions.

Proprietary Statement

This manual contains proprietary information of Zebra Technologies Corporation and its
subsidiaries (“Zebra Technologies”). It is intended solely for the information and use of
parties operating and maintaining the equipment described herein. Such proprietary
information may not be used, reproduced, or disclosed to any other parties for any other
purpose without the express written permission of Zebra Technologies.

Product Improvements

Continuous improvement of products is a policy of Zebra Technologies. All specifications
and designs are subject to change without notice.

Liability Disclaimer

Zebra Technologies takes steps to ensure that its published Engineering specifications and
manuals are correct; however, errors do occur. Zebra Technologies reserves the right to
correct any such errors and disclaims liability resulting therefrom.

Limitation of Liability

In no event shall Zebra Technologies or anyone else involved in the creation, production,
or delivery of the accompanying product (including hardware and software) be liable for
any damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, consequential damages including
loss of business profits, business interruption, or loss of business information) arising out
of the use of, the results of use of, or inability to use such product, even if Zebra
Technologies has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some jurisdictions do
not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above
limitation or exclusion may not apply to you.

Canadian DOC Compliance Statement

This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.

5/22/2012 GC420t™ User Guide P1052686-001

iv

FCC Compliance Statement

This device complies with Part 15 rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

1. This device may not cause harmful interference, and

2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause

undesired operation.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for Class B Digital
Devices, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable
protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a residential
environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if
not installed and used in accordance with the product manuals, may cause harmful interference
to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a
particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television
reception, the user is encouraged to do one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver
is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced RF service technician for help.

The user is cautioned that any changes or modifications not expressly approved by Zebra
Technologies could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment. To ensure compliance,
this printer must be used with fully shielded communication cables.

Environmental Management

Do not dispose of this product in unsorted municipal waste. This product is recyclable, and
should be recycled according to your local standards.

For more information, please see our website at:

Web address: www.zebra.com/environment

P1052686-001 GC420t™ User Guide 5/22/2012

About This Document

This section provides you with contact information, document structure and organization, and
additional reference documents.

Contents

Who Should Use This Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

How This Document Is Organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

Contacts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii

Document Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii

5/22/2012 GC420t™ User Guide P1052686-001

vi

Who Should Use This Document

Who Should Use This Document

This User Guide is intended for use by any person who needs to operate or to troubleshoot
problems with the printer.

How This Document Is Organized

The User Guide is set up as follows:

Section Description

Introduction on page 1 This section describes what you get in your

Getting Started on page 9 This section describes how to set up your printer

shipping box and provides an overview of printer
features. This section also has procedures that
describe how to open and close the printer and
report any problems.

for the first time and use the most common
operating procedures for loading media.

Print Operations on page 29 This section provides media and print handling,

font and language support, and the set up of less
common printer configurations.

Printer Options on page 45 This section covers the common printer options

and accessories with brief descriptions and how to
get you started using or configuring your printer
option or accessory.

Maintenance on page 53 This section provides routine cleaning and

maintenance procedures.

Troubleshooting on page 65 This section provides information about printer

error reporting that you might need for printer
troubleshooting. Assorted diagnostic tests are
included.

Appendix: Interface Wiring
on page 79

Appendix: Dimensions on page 83 This section provides external printer dimensions

Appendix: ZPL Configuration

on page 87

This section provides additional interface
information and wiring diagrams to assist with
printer to host system integration (typically a PC).

for the standard printer and printer with options.

This section briefly covers printer configuration
and includes a cross-reference to ZPL printer
configuration commands.

P1052686-001 GC420t™ User Guide 5/22/2012

Contacts

Contacts

vii

Technical Support via the Internet is available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

Web Site: www.zebra.com
E-mail Back Technical Library:

E-mail address: [e-mail]
Subject line: Emaillist

Self Service Knowledge Base: www.zebra.com/knowledgebase
Online Case Registration: www.zebra.com/techrequest

Which Department

Do You Need?

Regional Headquarters Zebra Technologies Corporation

475 Half Day Road, Suite 500
Lincolnshire, IL 60069 USA

T: [phone]
Toll-free [phone]
F: [phone]

Technical Support

For questions on the
operation of Zebra
equipment and software,
please call your distributor.
For additional assistance,
contact us.

Please have your model and
serial numbers available.

Repair Service
Department

For back-to-base service
and repair.

Technical Training
Department

For Zebra product training
courses.

Inquiry Department

For product literature and
distributor and dealer
information.

Customer Service
Department (US)

Internal Sales
Department (UK)

For printers, parts, media,
and ribbon, please call your
distributor or contact us.

Key:

T: Telephone
F: Facsimile
E: E-mail

T: +1 877 ASK ZEBRA (275 9327)
F: [phone]

Hardware: [e-mail]
Software: [e-mail]

Kiosk printers:

T: [phone]
E: [e-mail]

T: +1 877 ASK ZEBRA (275 9327)
F: [phone]

E: [e-mail]

To request a repair in the U.S.,
go to www.zebra.com/repair

T: [phone]
T: [phone]
F: [phone]

E: [e-mail]

T: +1 877 ASK ZEBRA (275 9327)

E: [e-mail]

T: +1 877 ASK ZEBRA (275 9327)

E: [e-mail]

The Americas

.

Europe, Middle East,

and Africa

Zebra Technologies Europe
Limited
Dukes Meadow
Millboard Road
Bourne End
Buckinghamshire, SL8 5XF
United Kingdom

T: [phone]
F: [phone]

T: [phone]
F: [phone]

E: [e-mail]

T: [phone]
F: [phone]

New requests: [e-mail]
Status updates:

[e-mail]

T: [phone]
F: [phone]

E: [e-mail]

T: [phone]
F: [phone]

E: [e-mail]

T: [phone]
F: [phone]

E: [e-mail]

Asia Pacific

and India

Zebra Technologies Asia Pacific
Pte. Ltd.
120 Robinson Road
#06-01 Parakou Building
Singapore 068913

T: + 65 6858 0722
F: [phone]

T: [phone]
F: [phone]

E: China: [e-mail]

All other areas:

[e-mail]

T: [phone]
F: [phone]

E: China: [e-mail]

All other areas:

[e-mail]

T: + 65 6858 0722
F: [phone]

E: China: [e-mail]

All other areas:

[e-mail]

E: China:

[e-mail]

All other areas:

APACChannelmarketing@zebra.c
om

T: [phone]
F: [phone]

E: China: [e-mail]

All other areas:

[e-mail]

5/22/2012 GC420t™ User Guide P1052686-001

viii

Document Conventions

Document Conventions

The following conventions are used throughout this document to convey certain information.

Alternate Color (online only) Cross-references contain hot links to other sections in this
guide. If you are viewing this guide online in .pdf format, you can click the cross-reference
(blue text) to jump directly to its location.

Command Line Examples Command line examples appear in Courier New font. For
example, type

Files and Directories File names and directories appear in Courier New font. For
example, the

Icons Used

Caution • Warns you of the potential for electrostatic discharge.

ZTools to get to the Post-Install scripts in the bin directory.

Zebra<version number>.tar file and the /root directory.

Caution • Warns you of a potential electric shock situation.

Caution • Warns you of a situation where excessive heat could cause a burn.

Caution • Advises you that failure to take or avoid a specific action could result in physical

harm to you.

Caution • (No icon) Advises you that failure to take or avoid a specific action could result in

physical harm to the hardware.

Important • Advises you of information that is essential to complete a task.

Note • Indicates neutral or positive information that emphasizes or supplements important

points of the main text.

Example • Provides an example, often a scenario, to better clarify a section of text.

P1052686-001 GC420t™ User Guide 5/22/2012

Contents

About This Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

Who Should Use This Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

How This Document Is Organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Document Conventions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii

Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1 • Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

GC420t™ Thermal Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

What’s in the Box? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Unpack and Inspect the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Your Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Printer Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Operator Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2 • Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Attaching Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Loading Roll Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Preparing Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Placing the Roll in the Media Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Loading Transfer Ribbon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Printing a Test (Printer Configuration) Label. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Pre-install Windows® Printer Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Plug’N’Play (PnP) Printer Detection and Windows® operating systems . . . . . . . 20

Universal Serial Bus (USB) Device Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Serial Port and Windows® operating systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Connecting your Printer to a Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Interface Cable Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

5/22/2012 GC420t™ User Guide P1052686-001

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USB Interface Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Serial Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Parallel Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

After Your Printer is Connected. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Testing Communications by Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

3 • Print Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Determining Printer Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Long Term Printer In-activity or Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Thermal Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Modes of Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Print Media Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Determining Thermal Media Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Replacing Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Adding a New Transfer Ribbon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Replacing a Partially Used Transfer Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Adjusting the Print Width. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Adjusting the Print Quality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Media Sensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Ribbon Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

When to Use Ribbon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Coated Side of Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Ribbon Test with Adhesive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Ribbon Scratch Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Printing on Fan-Fold Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Printing with Externally Mounted Roll Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Fonts and Your Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Localizing the Printer with Code Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Identifying Fonts in Your Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Stand Alone Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Sending Files to the Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Print Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

4 • Printer Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Label Dispenser Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Zebra® KDU — Printer Accessory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

KDU Plus™ — Printer Accessory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

ZBI 2.0™ — Zebra Basic Interpreter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

5 • Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Cleaning the Printhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Media Path Considerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

P1052686-001 GC420t™ User Guide 5/22/2012

Sensor Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Platen Cleaning and Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Other Printer Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Replacing the Printhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

6 • Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Status Light Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Status Light Error Resolutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Print Quality Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Manual Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Troubleshooting Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Printing a Configuration Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Recalibration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Resetting the Factory Default Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Communications Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Feed Button Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

3

A • Appendix: Interface Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Universal Serial Bus (USB) Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Parallel Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Serial Port Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Connecting the Printer to a DCE Device 82

B • Appendix: Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

External GC420t™ Printer Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Optional: Label Dispenser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

C • Appendix: ZPL Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Managing the ZPL Printer Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

ZPL Printer Configuration Format 88

ZPL Configuration Status to Command Cross-reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Printer Memory Management and Related Status Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

ZPL Programming for Memory Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

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4

Notes • ___________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

P1052686-001 GC420t™ User Guide 5/22/2012

1

Introduction

This section describes what you get in your shipping box and provides an overview of printer
features. This includes procedures that describe how to open and close the printer and report
any problems.

Contents

GC420t™ Thermal Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

What’s in the Box? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Unpack and Inspect the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Your Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Printer Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Operator Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

5/22/2012 GC420t™ User Guide P1052686-001

2

GC420t™ Thermal Printers

GC420t™ Thermal Printers

The Zebra® GC420t™ model is the best value in a desktop thermal printer. The GC420t™
printer provides thermal transfer and direct thermal printing at speeds up to 4 ips (inches per
second) at a 203 dpi (dots per inch) print density. The GC420t™ supports both ZPL™ and
EPL™ Zebra printer programming languages and a wide variety of interface and feature
options.

The GC420 printer features:

• Automatic printer language detection and switching between ZPL and EPL
programming and label formats.

• Color-coded operator controls and media guides.

• Zebra™ Global Printing Solution – supports Microsoft Windows keyboard encoding
(and ANSI), Unicode UTF-8 and UTF 16 (Unicode Transformation Formats), XML,
ASCII (7 and 8 bit used by legacy programs and systems), basic single and double
byte font encoding, Hexadecimal encoding, and custom character maps (DAT table
creation, font linking, and character remapping).

• Improved printer performance: faster print speeds and a 32-bit processor.

• A complete suite of free software applications and drivers to configure printer
settings, design and print labels and receipts, get printer status, import graphics and
fonts, send programming commands, update firmware, and download files. Clone
printer settings and send graphics, files, fonts, and firmware (updates) to one or more
Zebra® Ethernet and locally connected printers with ZebraNet™ Bridge.

• Maintenance reporting enabled and customizable by the user.

The GC420 printers offer these basic printer options:

• Label Dispense (Peel-Off).

• Zebra® ZBI 2.0™ (Zebra BASIC Interpreter) programming language. ZBI™ allows
you to create custom printer operations that can automate processes, use peripherals
(i.e. scanners, scales, keyboards, Zebra® KDU or KDU Plus™, etc.) all without being
attached to a PC or network.

This users guide provides all the information you need to operate your printer on a daily basis.
To create label formats, refer to your programming guides or label design applications such as
ZebraDesigner™.

Your printer, when connected to a host computer, functions as a complete system for printing
labels and tags.

Note • Many printer settings may also be controlled by your printer’s driver or label design

software. Refer to the driver or software documentation for more information.

P1052686-001 GC420t™ User Guide 5/22/2012

What’s in the Box?

Power Cord

varies by locale or region

Documentation

and Software

Power

Supply

PrinterRibbon Core

Save the carton and all packing materials in case you need to ship or store the printer later.
After unpacking, make sure you have all parts. Follow the procedures for inspecting the
printer to familiarize yourself with printer parts so you can follow the instructions in this book.

What’s in the Box?

3

5/22/2012 GC420t™ User Guide P1052686-001

Unpack and Inspect the Printer

When you receive the printer, immediately unpack it and inspect for shipping damage.

• Save all packing materials.

• Check all exterior surfaces for damage.

• Open the printer and inspect the media compartment for damage to components.

If you discover shipping damage upon inspection:

• Immediately notify the shipping company and file a damage report. Zebra
Technologies Corporation is not responsible for any damage to the printer incurred
during shipment, and will not cover the repair of this damage under its warranty
policy.

• Keep all packaging material for shipping company inspection.

• Notify your authorized Zebra

®

reseller.

4

Interface

Connectors

Feed

Button

Status

Light

Release
Latches

Release
Latches

DC Power Switch

and Receptacle

Fan-Fold Media

Entry Slot

What’s in the Box?

Your Printer

Opening the printer

To access the media compartment, you must open the printer. Pull the release latches towards
you and lift the cover. Check the media compartment for loose or damaged components.

Caution • The discharge of electrostatic energy that accumulates on the surface of the

human body or other surfaces can damage or destroy the printhead or electronic
components used in this device. You must observe static-safe procedures when working
with the printhead or the electronic components under the top cover.

P1052686-001 GC420t™ User Guide 5/22/2012

Printer Features

Sensor

Peel Bar

Platen

Roller

Printhead

BlackLine

Sensor

Ribbon Motion

Sensor

Media Guides

Head-Up Sensor

(inside)

Pinch

Roller

Dispenser Door

(open)

Take Up
Spindles

Supply

Spindles

Ribbon Roll Holders

Dispenser Option

Web (Gap)

Sensor

Media Guide

Adjustment

Roll

Holders

Fan-Fold

Media Lock

(screw)

Ribbon

Take-Up

Gear

What’s in the Box?

5

5/22/2012 GC420t™ User Guide P1052686-001

6

Power OFF

Power ON

Power Switch

Power Switch

What’s in the Box?

Operator Controls

Power Switch

Press up to turn ON or down to turn OFF the printer.

Caution • The printer power should be turned off before connecting or disconnecting the

communications and power cables.

P1052686-001 GC420t™ User Guide 5/22/2012

Feed Button

• Tap the Feed button once to force the printer to feed one blank label.

• Press the Feed button to take the printer out of a “pause” condition. The printer is put into
“pause” by either a programming command or an error condition. See What the Status

Light is Telling You on page 66 in the Troubleshooting chapter.

• Use the Feed button for printer setup and status (see Feed Button Modes on page 76 in the
Troubleshooting chapter).

Status Light

Located on the top case next to the feed button, the status light functions as a printer
operational indicator (see Status Light Descriptions on page 66).

What’s in the Box?

7

5/22/2012 GC420t™ User Guide P1052686-001

8

What’s in the Box?

Closing the printer

1. Hold the top cover and press the “kick-stand’ cover lock to release.

Lower the top cover. The ribbon carriage automatically folds up into place.

2. Press down until the cover snaps closed.

P1052686-001 GC420t™ User Guide 5/22/2012

2

Getting Started

This section describes how to set up your printer for the first time and use the most common
operating procedures for loading media.

Contents

Attaching Power. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Loading Roll Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Loading Transfer Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Printing a Test (Printer Configuration) Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Pre-install Windows® Printer Drivers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Connecting your Printer to a Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

After Your Printer is Connected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

5/22/2012 GC420t™ User Guide P1052686-001

10

Power
Connector

Power

Switch

Plug Varies

by Country

Active Power

Light

Power

Receptacle

AC
Power
Cord

Printer

Power
Supply

IEC 60320 C-5

Attaching Power

Attaching Power

Important • Set up your printer so that you can handle the power cord easily if needed. To

make certain the printer cannot carry electrical current, you must separate the power cord
from the power supply receptacle or AC electrical outlet.

Caution • Never operate the printer and power supply in an area where they can get wet.

Serious personal injury could result!

1. Make sure the printer’s power switch is in the off position (down).

2. Insert the AC power cord into the power supply.

3. Plug the other end of the cord into an appropriate AC electrical outlet. Note: The active

power light will go on if power is on at the AC outlet.

4. Insert the power supply’s power connector into the printer’s power receptacle.

Note • Ensure the appropriate power cord with a three (3) prong plug and an IEC 60320-C5
connector are used at all times. These power cords must bear the relevant certification mark of
the country in which the product is being used.

P1052686-001 GC420t™ User Guide 5/22/2012

Loading Roll Media

When you load media, you must place the roll onto the media hangers.

You must use the correct media for the type of printing you require.

Preparing Media

Whether your roll media is inside or outside wound, you load it into the printer the same way.

• Remove the outside length of media. During shipment, handling, or storage, the roll may
become dirty or dusty. Removing the outside length of media avoids dragging adhesive or
dirty media between the printhead and platen.

Loading Roll Media

11

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12

Loading Roll Media

Placing the Roll in the Media Compartment

1. Open the printer. Remember that you need to pull the release latch levers toward the front

of the printer.

2. Open the media guides by turning the media guide adjustment knob towards the rear of the

printer.

P1052686-001 GC420t™ User Guide 5/22/2012

Loading Roll Media

3. Open the media roll holders. Pull the media guides open with your free hand and place the

media roll on the roll holders and release the guides. Orient the media roll so that its
printing surface will face up as it passes over the platen (drive) roller.

13

5/22/2012 GC420t™ User Guide P1052686-001

14

Under Media

Guides

Loading Roll Media

4. Pull the media so that it extends out of the front of the printer. Verify the roll turns freely.

The roll must not sit in the bottom of the media compartment. Verify that the media’s
printing surface is facing up.

5. Push the media under both of the media guides. Close the media guides by turning the

media

guide adjustment knob to the front. The guides should just touch, but not restrict,

the edges of the media.

6. Unless you need to load transfer ribbon, close the top cover. Remember that you need to

release the cover lock, lower the top cover, and press down until the

latches snap into

place.

7. If printer power is on, press the Feed Button to feed media. Otherwise, wait to turn on the

printer and complete the printer ‘Getting Started’ instructions in this chapter.

P1052686-001 GC420t™ User Guide 5/22/2012

Loading Transfer Ribbon

Notch

Adhesive Strip

Right Side

(printer and roll)

Loading Transfer Ribbon

15

Transfer ribbons come in several varieties and in some cases colors to match your application

®

needs. Genuine Zebra
brand media. Using non-Zebra media or ribbons not approved for use in your Zebra

transfer ribbons are specifically designed for your printer and Zebra

®

printer

may damage your printer or printhead.

• The media and ribbon types should be matched to provide you with optimal print results.

• Always use ribbon that is wider than the media to protect the printhead from wear.

• For direct thermal printing, do not load ribbon in the printer.

®

Your printer needs to use Zebra
out trailer (reflector) to stop printing when empty. Zebra

®

model Zebra

desktop printers too.

Uni-Ribbon™ (universal ribbon). Uni-Ribbons have a ribbon

®

Uni-Ribbon™ will work on older

Uni-Ribbons are identified with a color coded leader.

• Blue - Performance Wax (5319)

• Silver - Premium Wax/Resin (3200)

• Gold - Performance Resin (5095) for synthetics (6 ips max. speed) and coated paper
(4 ips max. speed)

• Red - Premium Resin (5100) for synthetics (4 ips max. speed)

Before following these steps, prepare the ribbon by removing its wrapping and pulling its
adhesive strip free.

5/22/2012 GC420t™ User Guide P1052686-001

See Ribbon Overview on page 36 for more information on ribbon use.

Important • DO NOT USE early model desktop printer ribbon cores! The older ribbon cores

can be identified by notches on only one side of the ribbon core. These older cores are too large
and will cause take-up spool to bind.

Note • DO NOT USE ribbon cores with damaged notches - rounded, frayed, smashed, etc. The

core notches should be square to lock the core on the spindle or the core may slip causing
ribbon wrinkle, poor end of ribbon sensing or other intermittent failures.

16

Loading Transfer Ribbon

1. With the printer open, thread the ribbon through the ribbon carriage. Press the right side

onto the spring loaded supply hub. Align the left side of the ribbon core notches to the left
supply (spindle) hub spokes. Rotate the roll until the notches align and lock into the left
side of the supply hub.

2. Place an empty ribbon core on printer’s take-up spindles. Rotate the ribbon core until the

notches align and lock into the left side of the take-up hub.

You can find your first ribbon take-up core in the packing box. Subsequently, use the empty
supply core to take up the next roll of ribbon.

P1052686-001 GC420t™ User Guide 5/22/2012

Loading Transfer Ribbon

3. Attach the ribbon to the take up core. Use the adhesive strip on new rolls; otherwise, use

tape. You must align the ribbon when you are attaching it to the core, so that it will be
taken straight onto the core and align with the supply.

17

4. Turn the ribbon take-up gear counter-clockwise (top moves toward rear) to remove slack

from the ribbon.

5. Verify that the media is loaded and ready to print and then close the printer cover.

Remember that you need to release the cover lock, lower the top cover, and press down
until the latches snap into place.

5/22/2012 GC420t™ User Guide P1052686-001

18

Loading Transfer Ribbon

6. If printer power is on, press the Feed button to have the printer feed a minimum of 10 cm

(4 inches) of media to remove slack and ribbon wrinkle, and to align the ribbon on the
spindles. Otherwise, wait to turn on the printer and complete the printer ‘Getting Started’
instructions in this chapter.

7. Change the print mode setting from direct thermal printing to thermal transfer to set the

printer’s temperature profiles for thermal transfer media. This can be done with the printer
driver, application software, or printer programming commands.

• When controlling printer operations with ZPL programming, refer to the Media Type
(^MT) ZPL II command (follow the instructions in the ZPL Programming Guide).

• When controlling printer operations with EPL Page Mode, refer to the Options (O)
EPL command (follow the instructions in the EPL Page Mode Programmer’s Guide).

8. To verify the mode change from direct thermal printing to thermal transfer printing, use

the Printing a Test (Printer Configuration) Label on page 19 to print a configuration label.
The ‘PRINT METHOD’ should read ‘THERMAL-TRANS’ on the printer configuration
status label.

Your printer is now ready to print.

P1052686-001 GC420t™ User Guide 5/22/2012